Hello Explorers,
We are extremely excited to announce and welcome our new Cohort 3 Wayfarer Ambassadors! For 2024, we invited and are welcoming 12 new Ambassadors into the program for a total of 24 Ambassadors spread around the globe. Please join me in congratulating them as you read more about why they chose to become an Ambassador and what they are looking forward to the most about being a Wayfarer Ambassador. And don’t worry, more about Cohort 1 at the end. Now without further ado, I introduce to you Cohort 3!
Breaaad
Servus, Grüezi and Hello from southern Germany! I am Breaaad with various "a"s on the internet, but most people just refer to me as Bread. I started participating in Wayfarer right when it was released to German Pokémon GO Trainers near the end of 2019 and it quickly developed into an all around hobby that has lead me on to many journeys and discoveries I wouldn’t have made without Wayfarer. I applied to be an Ambassador to try and spread this motivation to go out and explore in even the more remote places and discover the world. I’m looking forward to helping test features as an Ambassador that will improve the Wayfarer experience for all community members in the future.
CarolFigueiraRS
Greatings from Brasil!!! My beginning was around 4ish years ago when I went back to playing pogo. I was living in a small town with 30 pokéstops. I really wanted more and no one at the time was able to create them. So I felt the need to make myself a Wayfarer. I have lurked in the community for years learning but I feel I should be more active now. I hope I will bring more awareness locally to how the process works. I also want to give a tiny south american voice to the conversation.
DLuarca
Hola soy DLuarca, your new Wayfarer Ambassador representing Mexico, I have been a Pokemon trainer since the first day of the game. When PoGo players first got Wayfarer access, I learned how to propose and evaluate, I soon thought that Niantic’s best metagame is Wayfarer. I have proposed hundreds of POIs and obtained hundreds of approvals… There is not a day that I do not evaluate at least one proposal, although on average I review 50… Although I am partially blind when I am anywhere, especially if it is the first time I’m going there, I look for anything that can be used as a proposal, my driver says that I’m in “Wayfarer Mode”, and on many occasions he is my accomplice to be able to propose something. I think I have a good eye for finding memorable things and I still hope to find a lot more to enrich the game board, for all games. I consider myself very good at analyzing and transmitting this knowledge that is required to be an excellent wayfarer analyst. I hope to be of help to everyone and I will always be willing to answer doubts and questions.
ElfFromSpace
Hello, I’m ElfFromSpace. My interest in wayfarer comes from my loves for exploration, travel, art and photography. I’ve been playing Pokemon Go since 2016 and I’ve been involved in Wayfarer since 2018 when I started playing Ingress, so I could submit new murals as pokestops. Since then I’ve added over 1000 wayspots to the map and have worked with many others to learn for myself and teach others how to be better wayfarers. I am eager to improve the wayfarer process, making it fun and accessible for players around the world. I want to teach players how to make new and existing wayspots better so that they truly encourage exploration.
MegaTrainerRed
Hola a todos! I’m MegaTrainerRed from Spain. I’ve been playing Pokémon GO since 2016 and I started in Wayfarer in 2019 when it was released in Spain. It wasn’t until 1 year and a half ago when I started to get really interested on Wayfarer and their communities, starting to explore different places than my play area and searching for possible candidates during my trips to other places. With the time, I’ve been learning and teaching other people the few knowledge I had, being the reason why I decided to apply to become an Ambassador. With this opportunity I would like to continue this labor in a bigger scale and, also, to continue the effort made by the two last cohorts of Ambassadors. As everything in this life there is always something to improve and Wayfarer is not the exception. During this time I will try to put all my energy helping and listening people, giving feedback, working as a team, trying to give and learn about different perspectives and, the most important thing, trying to make of Wayfarer a pleasant experience. If anybody needs me, you can principally find me in the WDD Discord server, Telegram or Twitter.
PaulingZubat
Hi! I’m PauingZubatl from the Philippines. I’ve had interests in mapping and exploring and Wayfarer is another motivation to scout interesting things from places I visit. I’m curious to see the Wayfarer team’s upcoming surprises and what feedback I may contribute as a casual enjoyer. I see Wayfarer as a communication game between the submitter and the review pool, I hope to instill this sense of game-ness despite the background knowledge needed for participating. I look forward to what new challenges this role has to offer and hope to survive the experience!
SerAmanda
Hey, I’m SerAmanda, from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Out of all of the Niantic games that I play (Pokemon Go, Monster Hunter Now, Ingress, Pikmin Bloom), Wayfarer has become my most favorite “Niantic game.” I decided to become a Wayfarer Ambassador so that I can give back to the community in a different way. What I look forward to the most is working with the other Wayfarer Ambassadors across our global community to improve Wayfarer–the foundation of the games that we love.
Shilfiell
Hi, I’m Shilfiell from Western New York State along our country’s north coast. I’m delighted to be selected as a Wayfarer Ambassador because I enjoy exploration above all. I originally started playing Pokemon Go at launch, and started in Ingress pre-Wayfarer so that I could submit new Pokestops and make more gyms, but soon grew to love that game as well! My ideal day involves traveling to a new natural area, walking trails, submitting new POIs, watching some birds and maybe finding a well-hidden geocache. I look forward to collaborating with the Ambassador team and my primary goals are clear communication, unlocking the potential of rural areas, facilitating more in-person events, and helping my community become better Wayfarers.
SpiritGold
Hi there, I am SpiritGold and I am from the West Midlands in the United Kingdom. I have chosen to be a wayfarer ambassador, as I have now started to assist other players in guiding them, on how they can successfully nominate their own waypoints into the games they play. Since the day I completed my first nomination with guidance from the online community, I was instantly hooked by the idea of the Wayfarer mission. I have explored everywhere I have travelled, to aid in the wayfarer mission by adding many new waypoints. In doing this I have aided my local and other Niantic gaming communities, whilst also personally enjoying the investigation work for a waypoint. This has enabled me to learn more about notable residents and local history than I would ever have imagined. In becoming an ambassador I am looking forward to the challenges ahead by assisting and helping where possible and providing all forms of feedback from the community, local and online, to improve the entire experience for everyone."
Trollfarer
Hello, I’m Trollfarer, from the western parts of Norway. I really love exploring new areas, especially on the mountains. I love to visit areas that I have not been to yet, even if it’s just a rural village, even before I got into Wayfarer. I also like to share interesting locations that I come across. Wayfarer was basically a perfect tool for me. I chose to become an Ambassador because I want to encourage new people to try out Wayfarer, and learn how to do things. Submitting and/or reviewing. I really hope I can help or contribute with expanding Wayfarer and make it more fun for everyone.
WoodWose
Hello! I’m WoodWose. I live just beyond the northern outskirts of Sydney, Australia. I’ve been a trainer since the Pokémon GO field test, and before that my first Niantic game was Ingress. I’m passionate about creating shared Augmented Reality experiences with (and for) others. The merger of real-world map data and dynamic virtual environments is absolutely fascinating to me. I look forward to helping advocate for a diversity of perspectives and needs as they arise throughout the Wayfarer Community, particularly when it comes to under-serviced communities and locations.
xLilPoundcake
Hi, everyone! I’m xLilPoundcake, Cleveland Ohio’s proudest Wayfarer and full-time nerd. I applied to become a Wayfarer Ambassador because I want to help build and grow the community, help bridge gaps in knowledge and understanding, and provide others with support, research tools, and strategies for exploring the world around them in new ways. I have a Ph.D. in English, and I love helping others write and do research. I’m most looking forward to using my skills to help people create more successful nominations in a more collaborative, accessible way, and have a great time while we’re doing so. Wayfarer has changed my life, and I want to help others feel more confident in their ability to successfully navigate the community and the product, so it can be a source of joy for them the way it has been for me. I can’t wait to work with, and for, all of you!
Once again, a huge welcome to Cohort 3! We’re excited to see all of the amazing impact you’ll have on Wayfarer and our community.
Now that we’ve introduced our new cohort, what will become of our Cohort 1? We’re excited to continue having Cohort 1 within our circles of influence. We have developed such a fruitful alliance and welcome them to continue as Ambassador Alums. While they will not be participating in the weekly/monthly activities, when and where necessary we’ll invite them into conversation and experiences to continue making improvements that will make your Wayfarer experience better.
(originally posted March 2024)